Premature holiday baby returns home

The Russian baby born two months prematurely while his mother was on holiday in Turkey has arrived home. Little Sergey Korsakov spent more than six weeks in a hospital in Anatalya after being delivered by caesarean section.

He was too ill to leave hospital when his parents' holiday ended, but they didn't have the money to pay for his medical treatment.

After extensive negotiations, insurers agreed to pay the hospital fees.

The family, from the small city of Tver in central Russia, has had to wait for the all-clear from doctors before taking the son home.
He only weighs 1.5 kilos and still needs an incubator.  But because he can now breathe without special apparatus, doctors said he was fit enough to travel home.

Despite being born prematurely, 45-day-old Sergey is doing relatively well.  But doctors insist he stays in a Moscow prenatal hospital for as long as he needs an incubator, probably a week or so.

Sergey's mother, Yulia Korsakova, went on holiday when she was seven months pregnant, despite being warned not to by doctors.

She gave birth prematurely at the Turkish resort of Antalya.

After the baby was born, he needed special and expensive treatment. But the couple had no money to pay a $US 1,500-a-day hospital bill. They came back to Russia and turned to Russia’s consulate for assistance. After a round of negotiations, their insurance company and travel agency agreed to cover the expenses.

Yulia’s son has been kept in an incubator at the Anadolu Hospital in Antalya since he was born.

The incident drew a wide response both in Russia and in Turkey. Back home in Russia baby Sergey has been called “a Turkish hostage”. In Turkey, local media has nicknamed him “an unexpected guest”.